Faces of Evil
by Wingblade Alpha
Summary: Despite the Kyuubi within him, Naruto has made many friends and comrades. However, horrific nightmares and mysterious voices soon lead him to doubt the bonds he has made. Meanwhile, evil is lying in wait, poised to strike...
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Monster

Flames…burning…screams…

The Kyuubi looked about, grinning maliciously at the devastation it had wrought. It lunged forth, snapping up another shinobi in its jaws and messily devouring him, to the horror of his comrades. It roared, jubilantly declaring its presence to the world. As it did so, it swept its nine massive tails about itself, devastating the surrounding buildings. It thrashed about, a wild bloodlust overtaking its regular fury.

It suddenly felt a small pain in its right front leg. Growling, it swung its head about and looked downward, noticing, to its surprise, a young, pink-haired kunoichi slashing away with a kunai in hand. The monster snorted. Did this insect truly think it could harm him? Him, the Kyuubi, the biju whose path of destruction dated back further than anyone cared to remember? It was ridiculous. Sneering, the Kyuubi prepared to lunge forth, only to feel another, slightly larger pain on its back.

Swiveling its head about, the creature managed to catch a glimpse of another young ninja, this one a wild looking boy. He savagely dug into the monster's back with unusually sharp nails. The Kyuubi thrashed about, trying to get the bothersome human off its back. This continued for a while before the creature realized something: he was feeling these blows. They pained him. Why…?

He didn't have much more time to contemplate this, as he suddenly found his movement restricted. Straining his eyes, he managed to make a black haired young ninja in the distance, its shadow stretching across the ground and reaching the Kyuubi. Smirking, he raised his arm and plunged it into his chest. To its horror, the fox mimicked the movement. Then, with a sickening squelching sound, it was forced to pull its own heart out. As he stared, dumbfounded, at the organ, faces appeared on the heart's surface. They were making a single noise, which the fox eventually made to be a single word:

Monster… 

_Monster…_

_Monster…_

Suddenly, the world was engulfed in a blinding flash of light… 

And that's the end of the prologue. Please, read and review!


	2. Aftermath

Okay, the last chapter was kind of short, but hopefully, this will make up for it. Enjoy!

Note: This takes place after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, but before Naruto leaves Konoha for his training.

Chapter 1: Aftermath

Naruto, having woken up, bolted upwards into a sitting position. His clothes were soaked in sweat, and he was panting heavily. He closed his eyes, attempting to compose himself, breathing at such a pace he may have very well been hyperventilating. After a few seconds, Naruto's breathing slowed down, though he was still sweating profusely. He quickly ran a hand over his forehead, attempting to stem the perspiration. _Geez, what a nightmare… _he thought desperately to himself. He looked out his window. It was a bright, sunny day, though he took little notice of that. _But… _he placed one of his hands over his stomach, clenching it. _Why did I have that kind of dream? It was like I was… _His mind wandered back to his final meeting with Mizuki. _"You are the demon fox!" _He had stated, jeering. Naruto shook his head, shouting out loud. "No way! Just because I have the damned thing inside me doesn't make me the same, does it?" He sighed, stepping out of bed and looking at the clock: 11:45. Naruto shook his head before he realized something. "Dammit! I'm supposed to meet up with Sakura and Kakashi-sensei in five minutes!" Hurriedly undressing, he pulled on his trademark orange jumpsuit. Running over to his dresser, he grabbed his forehead protector and strapped it to his head. Satisfied, he threw open his door and ran out.

"Hey!" Naruto approached the training grounds, waving his hand at the girl standing there. "Sakura-chan!" Hearing his voice, she turned around and waved back, smiling. When he reached her, Naruto immediately asked a question. "Am I late?" Sakura frowned. "No, but, as usual, Kakashi-sensei still isn't here." Naruto pouted and turned around, crossing his arms. "Ah, damn it! He tells us not to be late while he's screwing around somewhere! What's with that?" Naruto did an impersonation of Kakashi's voice. " 'Sorry, I got lost on the path of life!' 'Sorry, a black cat crossed my path!'" Sakura laughed. It was actually a pretty good impression. "Well, he's probably off reading one of those perverted Icha Icha books again. How can he be into garbage like that?" Sakura sighed. Naruto grinned. "Well, I've peeked at some of them. They're actually kind of boring…" Sakura's eyes went wide. "Uh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto stared at his teammate. "Are you okay?" He was answered by a punch to the face, sending him flying into a nearby tree. He leaned against the tree, twitching, before crumpling to the ground. Naruto groaned. "S…Sakura-chan…What…what was that for?" Sakura popped a vein. "Seriously, Naruto, you're spending way too much time around Sensei and Jiraiya-sama! How can you even _think _of looking at trash like that?"

"Maybe because he was curious." Sakura let out a small gasp of surprise, turning around to see Kakashi standing there, orange book in hand. He turned his head to his other pupil, who was still getting up from the ground. "And Naruto, you should know those books are for adults only. I'll see if Hokage-sama can think up a suitable punishment for you…" Naruto flinched, gulping. Sakura blinked in confusion. "S-sensei! How long have you been there?" Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Since you and Naruto started complaining about me being late." Sakura laughed nervously. "Oh, that…Well…" Kakashi held up his free hand. "Hey, hey, it's alright. You're my students. I'm not going to kill you or anything. Now, come on." He turned to leave. "We have another stray cat to catch." Sakura sighed while Naruto groaned. "Oh, man! I hate cats…" As he got up and walked up to Kakashi, that one word echoed in his head:

Hate… 

_Hate…_

_Hate…_

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Naruto? Are you feeling alright?" Naruto blinked several times and shook his head. "Y-yeah. I'm fine, Sensei."

Later, Naruto sat at Ichiraku Ramen, grumbling under his breath about annoying cats. "Damn… Scratches hurt like hell…" He slurped up another mouthful of noodles. _Why can't the damn fox heal those cuts quicker? _Naruto finished his bowl and set it to the side, where five other empty bowls stood. "Another pork ramen," the blonde called out. As his food was being prepared, Naruto found himself thinking about his dream. _Give it a rest! It was just a dream… right?_ Naruto sighed. _Maybe I'm thinking too much._

_Thinking? That must be a new experience for you._

Naruto jumped slightly. "What the hell was that?" He looked around, but, aside from a few villagers strolling about, the streets were mostly empty. Naruto smiled as his ramen was finally brought out, but as he prepared to devour it, he started thinking again. _That kind of reminds me of what Sakura-chan and some of the others used to call me. Now that I think about it, they still do sometimes. 'Stupid,' 'Baka,'…_

"Naruto."

'Idiot,' 'Dunce,'… 

"Naruto."

'Annoying,' 'Dobe,'… "Naruto!" 

Startled by the sudden interruption, Naruto looked to the seat next to him. Choji was sitting there, ten empty bowls littered about (yes, he eats THAT fast) and a slightly confused look on his face. "What is it, Choji?" Choji blinked. "Aren't you gonna eat your ramen?" Slouching his shoulders, Naruto stood up. "Nah. I'm gonna go take a walk. I'll see you later, Choji." Naruto walked away, arms folded behind his head. Choji stared at Naruto's retreating figure with a mixture of confusion and shock. _What's wrong with Naruto? It's not like him at all to leave behind a perfectly good bowl of ramen. _He glanced over at Naruto's untouched ramen bowl. _Speaking of which… _Shrugging, Choji grabbed the bowl and began speedily devouring it. "Another one!"

Naruto walked through the village streets, ignoring the venomous looks some of the older villagers shot him. He frowned. _Even after I've proven myself, they still hate me._

_Are you so surprised, Kit?_

Naruto gasped, but only momentarily upon recognizing the Kyuubi's voice. _Yeah, well, I have you to thank for that._

_You're welcome, _the beast stated sarcastically before retreating once again into Naruto's mind.

Naruto shook his head. "Well, even if the other villagers hate me, I'm still gonna become Hokage!"

Will that truly grant you what you seek? 

Naruto's eyes widened. _Where the hell is that coming from? _He rubbed at his eyes. "Maybe I'm not getting enough sleep," he muttered to himself. "I know I'm not crazy, because only crazy people hear voices in their heads…"

And I don't count? 

_Shut up, fox. _Blocking his mind against the Kyuubi's snide remarks, he continued walking. _Besides, not everyone hates me. There's Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Bushy Brows, Neji, Choji, Tsunade baa-chan, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, heck, even Kiba and Shikamaru… _

_And yet, didn't many of them not so long ago insult you, call you weak, heckle your dream of being Hokage? Even now, they sometimes call you names._

"Shut up!" Naruto screamed out loud, eliciting surprised looks from the surrounding villagers. Ignoring them, Naruto grumbled. "Maybe I can train some and get these stupid voices out of my head." Buoyed by this thought, Naruto jumped up to the rooftops and made his way toward the training grounds.

Naruto ran through the trees, letting the wind blow through his hair. "Ah, _this _is more like it!" Naruto grinned and threw a few kunai at a nearby target. He hit his mark. "Yeah!" He jumped underneath a branch in his way, grabbed it, and flung himself from it. In a few moments, the dream from last night had comfortably tucked itself away at the back of Naruto's mind.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way for long. Scarcely a minute passed before Naruto heard an odd buzzing noise. Curious, he stopped leaping and turned around. To his shock, he saw a huge, writhing mass of black speeding towards him. Confused, Naruto threw some shuriken. _Those are Shino's bugs! But why are they coming toward me? _The bugs dispersed, avoiding the shuriken and assaulting Naruto's body. Naruto yelled in alarm, falling to the ground. He flailed about, trying to get the insects off. After a few terrifying minutes, the bugs broke off.

Panting heavily for breath. Naruto sat up. His expression was shocked and confused. _Why… Why would Shino's bugs attack me? _The thought had scarcely left his mind before his dream came back to him.

_Monster…_

_Monster…_

_Monster…_

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What's going on? Why did Shino's bugs attack their own comrade? Stay tuned.

Next Chapter: The nightmares continue, and the voices continue to mock Naruto. What forces are at work here?


	3. Nightmares

Hey, everyone! Well, I finally managed to get another chapter up! And in regards to the source of the voice, mortalone… wait and see!

Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the story.

PS: Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not.

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Chapter 2: Nightmares

Naruto sat in Tsunade's office, shaken but otherwise unharmed. Tsunade sat in front of him, her face creased. "So, Naruto…" she began, "Are you certain of what you saw?" Naruto scrunched up his face. "Well, it kinda happened fast, but the cloud that attacked me sort of looked and sounded like Shino's bugs. Though I don't know why they would attack me…"

Don't you? 

Naruto frowned, but ignored the mocking voice. Tsunade noticed this, but kept quiet. _Don't want to alarm him any further… _Sighing, Tsunade closed her eyes. "I'll send for Shino when I can, Naruto. Until then, it'd be best not to bring it up in front of him." Naruto suddenly slammed his hands on the desk and stood up. "Why the hell not?!" Tsunade shook her head. "Until we're absolutely certain of what happened, there's no reason to get all worked up about it." "Worked up about it?!" Naruto yelled. "Those things attacked me!" Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms folded. "My orders stand, Naruto." Her mouth twisted upward in a small smile. "Now, then. Naruto, do you think you could do a favor for me?" Naruto sighed. "What is it, baa-chan?" Tsunade turned her gaze upon the door. "Go get Sakura for me. There's something I want to speak to her about." She noticed Naruto's curious look. "Medical matters," she added. The other blonde shrugged. "Oh." Getting up, he walked to the door, opened it, and left.

After a few seconds, Tsunade poked her head out the door, calling for her assistant. "Shizune!" The young, black-haired woman came running, Tonton struggling to keep up. She stopped, standing respectfully to attention. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Somewhat surprised at how quickly Shizune had arrived, Tsunade nonetheless gave her request. "Go and find that Aburame boy. Tell him to come here as soon as possible." Shizune nodded. "All right. What do you need him for, though?" "It's private," Tsunade blurted hastily. Shizune stared at Tsunade for a few seconds. She had been with the Sannin long enough to know that when she and the word 'private' were mixed together, things never turned out well. "Shizune?" Tsunade's confused voice interrupted her assistant's though. Realizing that she had been staring, Shizune broke her gaze, nodding. "I understand, Tsunade-sama." She turned around, dashing off. After she had gone, Tsunade shut the door sighing. _I don't know why, but I have the feeling that there was something Naruto was hiding from me._

Later that night…

Naruto walked into the middle of the training grounds, looking about. He scratched his head. "The others told me to come here, so why aren't any of them around?" Naruto continued looking, an uneasy feeling growing within him. _I have a bad feeling about this._

Surprised at his own thoughts, Naruto shouted out loud. "Why the hell should I have a bad feeling? They're my friends!" "Talking to yourself? You always were an unusual one, Naruto." Recognizing the voice, Naruto turned around to see Sakura walking towards him. Smiling, Naruto waved at her. "Hi, Sakura-chan! Where are the others?" Sakura smiled. "They're around. So, Naruto…" She stopped walking. "There's something I want to talk about." Naruto grinned excitedly. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" Sakura continued smiling, leaning close to him. "Tell me, Naruto…" She grinned wickedly. "Why are you such a freak?" Naruto froze, the grin fading from his face. "S-Sakura-chan?" Laughing, she reached into her bag and pulled out a net. Naruto panicked, backing up. "S-Sakura-chan! What are you doing?!" Any further comments were forestalled as Sakura threw the net over Naruto, trapping him against the ground. Frantically, he tried breaking out, but soon discovered that the net restrained any sort of movement.

Smirking, Sakura called out around her. "Hey, everyone! I've got him!" Almost immediately, several figures materialized, seemingly out of nowhere. Neji, Kiba, Hinata, Choji... every member of the Konoha 11 was present. Cackling, they all set upon Naruto. Naruto screamed in pain as the barrage of claw slashes, fists, feet, palms, and assorted weaponry ravaged him. However, even through his screaming, he could still hear the derisive remarks his fellow ninja were throwing at him.

"It was luck that you beat me, idiot!"

"Once a loser, always a loser."

"What are you, huh? Some kind of monster? Or maybe you escaped from Orochimaru's lab?"

Naruto shuddered, even as the assault shredded his skin. _Why are they calling me a monster? Why are they insulting me? Why… _Naruto's eyes changed to a feral red. _…are they trying to kill me?! _Gritting his teeth, Naruto let a wild presence surge through him, his legs and mouth elongating, his teeth sharpening, his ears lengthening. Unleashing a feral roar, the now-transformed Naruto tore through the net. As the others stared at him in horror, he leapt at them, tearing the young shinobi apart. All it took was three short minutes for the Kyuubi to kill them all. Naruto stood on his four, fox-like legs, panting with bloodlust and looked at the corpses of his former comrades with satisfaction. The monster's eyes soon faded to blue, and Naruto's satisfied expression turned to one of horror. "O-oh God! What have I done?!" He dashed around, examining the bodies. "Choji? Hinata-chan? Kiba? Neji? Bushy Brows? Are you still alive?" Only silence greeted him. Choking, Naruto broke down sobbing. "No… No… No!" Through his sobbing, he heard the still-present voices of his dead comrades.

_Freak…_

_Monster…_

_Abomination…_

Naruto shot upwards in his bed, tears running down his face. Shutting his eyes, the young ninja attempted to stem the flow of tears, to no avail. He took deep, gulping breaths of air, his sobbing eventually subsiding to a series of brief sniffs. Naruto shook. _That nightmare was _way _worse than my other one!_Still sniffing, the boy slumped forward. "At least… it's over…"

_Are you certain it's as simple as that?_

Naruto sat up, shocked. "What the hell do you want?!" Naruto's fright had turned to anger. To his surprise, the voice replied.

_Just trying to correct the way you think, boy._

Naruto blinked, confused but indignant. "What do you mean by that?!"

_You assume that, just because you earned your fellow ninjas' respect, they have become your 'friends.' Well, let me tell you something, brat. You can hate someone, hate them to your very core, and still respect their skills, their resolve…_

Naruto banged his fist against the wall. "What are you trying to say?" He said it slowly, dangerously.

_Even if your fellow ninja don't hate you to your very core, that doesn't necessarily mean they like you._

"…" For once, Naruto was lost for words.

_Well, I should go now, but before I do, I'd like to leave you a little thought to chew on. If you were to die, what would your "comrades'" reaction be? True, they would acknowledge that you were a skilled shinobi, but would they truly miss you? Would they mourn over your grave? Will they truly feel sadness in those days following your death?_

Naruto stuttered his answer, his body shaking. "W-why wouldn't t-they?" But the voice was gone.

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Poor, poor Naruto. What kinds of obstacles will our favorite, orange-clad shinobi have to deal with?

Next Time: Naruto runs into some of the other Genin. You can bet it's not gonna be pleasant!


	4. Tension

Hey, everyone! I've FINALLY gotten another chapter up; sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing but the story.

Chapter 3: Tension

The rest of the morning was a somber affair for Naruto. He ate his morning ramen with none of his usual gusto, sighing all throughout. Once he finished, he tossed the empty ramen cup into the trash can, and entered his room to get dressed. As he finished and prepared to tie his headband on, a sound, which was oddly like metal scraping against metal, reached his ears. Puzzled, he looked in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing. Shrugging apprehensively, he finished tying his headband and left.

As he walked about the streets, Naruto briefly contemplated going to the training grounds, but quickly dismissed it. _No way am I going there after what happened yesterday. _He sighed.

_But was it really Shino's bugs?_

_Well, how many other bug-controlling shinobi do you know?_

Naruto growled. _Leave me alone, you stupid fox._

The Kyuubi laughed. _Why? I've made most of your life hell, so what's a few remarks?_

_Just shut up, teme._

Naruto waited for a few minutes. When the biju didn't respond, he decided to continue walking for the time being.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had the same idea. A short while later, Naruto spotted Neji strolling about.

Naruto gave a small smile. _Neji at least probably considers me a friend… _An idea suddenly occurred to him. Naruto ran over to the Hyuuga, shouting.

"Oi, Neji!" Neji stopped and turned toward Naruto. Once Naruto reached his compatriot, Neji addressed him.

"Yes, Naruto?"

The grin faded from Naruto's face, and he fidgeted. "Well…Uh… I kinda, y'know, wanted to ask you something…" Neji blinked, confused.

_He's acting unusual for someone like him. In fact, he seems to be behaving much like Hinata-sama. Is something going on?_

Naruto finally came out and asked Neji his question.

"N-Neji? If I were to, um, somehow die, would you, well, actually miss me?" Neji took a step back, puzzled by the question. At that moment, a green blur ran up to Neji.

"Neji!" Neji sighed as Rock Lee stood amongst the dust. "Gai-sensei wants us to attend a training session! Get there as soon as possible!" Neji closed his eyes. "Very well. I'll be there in a minute." Lee gave a thumbs up. "Excellent! Come, Neji, my rival! Yosh!" The "Green Beast of Konoha" sped off as Naruto and Neji watched his retreating figure resignedly.

After he had gone, Neji turned to Naruto. "I'll have to answer your question later, Naruto. I need to go."

Naruto turned his eyes slightly downward. "A-alright." Giving an affirmative nod, Neji ran off.

_You know he's just doing that to get out of answering your question; a question you should already know the answer to._

Naruto gritted his teeth and attempted to ignore the jeering voice, to no avail. Sighing, he decided to make his way to Ichiraku's.

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"Neji!"

Hearing the voice, Neji deactivated his Byakugan. The formal portion of the training session had ended, and Gai decided to allow his students to "bask in their youthfulness": essentially, allowing them to train however they saw fit.

Neji turned his head to the source of the voice. It had come from Tenten, who had previously been doing some target practice on some nearby logs. "Yes?"

"Wait, hold on…" Tenten drew three kunai and flung them all at once. All three hit the log post dead center.

Tenten immediately began speaking as though nothing had happened. "Lee told me you were talking to Naruto about something."

Neji closed his eyes. "Does it concern you personally?"

Tenten smiled. "Nah, not really. I'm just curious."

Neji suddenly turned his back to Tenten, his voice becoming even more serious. "I'm actually glad you asked that. Before I tell you, though, we need to get Lee."

"Lee? Why?" the kunoichi asked, her voice carrying a note of confusion. Neji nodded. "Yes. It may be nothing, but both of you need to hear this, nonetheless."

After a moment of silence, Tenten smiled and nodded. "Got it. Can you find Lee?"

Neji activated his Byakugan, deactivating them after a few brief seconds. "He's a few kilometers away from here." Motioning for Tenten to follow him, Neji ran off.

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A few minutes later, they found their teammate, who was currently doing push-ups. He was so absorbed in his workout he didn't notice their arrival.

"500…501…502…"

Neji called his teammate's name. "Lee."

"503…504…505…506…"

Neji tried again. "Lee."

"507…508…"

"Lee!"

Neji's shouted statement finally caused Lee to look up from his push-ups.

"Yes, Neji?" He stood himself up.

Neji regarded his teammate for a moment before speaking. "We need to talk."

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( A few minutes later)

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Lee blinked his eyes in confusion. "Did he really ask you that?" he asked the Hyuuga.

Neji nodded. "Yes. He specifically asked me if I would miss him if he were to die."

Tenten was just as confused. "Aren't you two on good terms with one another?"

Neji nodded. "Yes, and that is why I found his question so odd. His question is not my only cause for concern, though." He took a breath before continuing. "Lee, Tenten, I trust that you both know of Naruto's usual manner, even if to a limited extent?"

Lee and Tenten, the latter to whom the last comment had been addressed, nodded. "We do indeed," began Lee. "He is exuberant, cheerful, determined, and never gives up, even when the odds are stacked against him." His eyes suddenly burst into flame, startling his teammates. "SUCH IS THE WAY OF THOSE WHO EMBRACE THEIR YOUTH! YOSH!!!"

His teammates stared blankly at him. Almost immediately, Lee calmed down. "Why do you ask?"

Neji shook his head. "When I talked to him, he seemed… different. Nervous, unsure of himself, and downcast."

Lee and Tenten's eyes widened in disbelief. Tenten was the first to speak up. She didn't meet with Naruto all that often, but knew enough about him to know his personality.

She replied, somewhat slowly, "Neji, are you sure this is _Naruto _you're talking about?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Who else would it be?"

Tenten quieted down, blushing. "Uh, sorry. I was just thinking, maybe it could have been a Genjutsu? Then again, you probably would have noticed that. Heh heh." Tenten smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yes. I would have noticed if Genjutsu was the problem," replied Neji in a flat tone. "However, I detected nothing of the sort."

Lee spoke up. "If that is the case, what do you think is wrong with Naruto?"

Neji closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know…" he admitted. "But whatever it is, we should keep a close watch on him."

---

Naruto strode away from Ichiraku's, having finished his (sixth) bowl of ramen. Not surprisingly, the taste of his favorite food had momentarily taken his mind off his troubles. However, as soon as he left, the thought of the voice and his dreams returned to plague him, and his demeanor became sullen. This time, he did not muse to himself, but merely walked along, his hands in his pockets and his face cast slightly downward.

_Oh, come now, boy. Why the long face? Still in denial?_

"Shove it," Naruto murmured, not in the mood to take insults from the voice. He still didn't fully believe what the voice was telling him. He had friends…right?

Naruto heard footsteps, and he looked to his side to see Shino, on his way back from bug-collecting. He noticed Naruto, and regarded him silently. Naruto merely shot a suspicious and accusing glance at him before continuing, leaving behind a still silent but slightly perplexed Shino.

---

Shino watched as Naruto left, eyebrows raised. _Strange, _he thought to himself. Deciding to give it some thought when he could, he walked off.

Shino had only been walking for a few minutes when an Anbu suddenly appeared to him in a puff of smoke.

"The Hokage wishes to see you. She says it's urgent," the masked ninja informed him. "She wants you at her office as soon as possible."

With that, the Anbu disappeared, leaving Shino curious, yet deep in thought.

_Urgent… hmm…_

Nonetheless, Shino took off towards the Hokage building, dashing as fast as he could.

_Perhaps it involves Naruto?_

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Naruto headed straight for home, not in the mood to train. He came across some of the other Genin, but averted his gaze from them, eliciting confused looks from them. He continued in this fashion until he reached his house. He opened the door and headed towards his bed. Sighing, he fell backwards onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

_The others can't really think I'm a monster, can they? _Naruto thought to himself. _I mean, none of them really know about the Kyuubi, anyway…_

_Perhaps not, but several of them have witnessed its power._

Naruto frowned. "Well, what about the ones who haven't?" he protested, half-puzzled at why he was even trying to speak with this thing.

_Well, think about it. That thing's chakra would have to be quite noticeable, wouldn't it? Some of your so called _'friends' _have no doubt detected that there was something about you they can't quite place their finger on. _The voice chuckled before continuing. _Besides, even if they haven't detected anything, they undoubtedly believe you to be an annoying pest, a parasite who gets on their every nerve._

Naruto's brow furrowed at this. "What the hell would you know?" he growled, though the voice's words had hit something in him.

_Oh, believe me, _the voice replied, almost condescendingly, _I never get my information wrong. _Naruto scowled, at which the voice chuckled. _Oh, don't be like that, boy. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to comfort you, I really must be going. Ja ne!_

This time, Naruto didn't even bother yelling out after the voice. He simply shook his head and closed his eyes.

_What the hell does that thing know, anyway? _He cursed silently to himself, though some of the things the voice had told him still gnawed at him. _Some of the others do seem to be pretty annoyed by me, sometimes…_

It was with this thought that Naruto slipped into another troubled sleep.

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Later that night…

Several were keeping watch at the village gates. Ever since Orochimaru's invasion, the village had upped its security considerably, making sure to let no infiltrators or other enemies through the cracks. It was also ensured that each of these sentries was considerably skilled, so that, in case of emergency, they could survive and inform the elders of the crisis. At least, that was the idea…

Some sixth sense flared to life in the ninjas, and they snapped to attention. Nodding to each other, they leapt down from the village's protective wall and in front of the gate. Intently, they examined the area around them, but saw nothing except the plain dirt road. Still, they kept watch. A minute passed by, then two, then three…

And that's when hell broke loose.

None of them saw it coming. All they knew was that in the span of a few quick seconds, one of their number had suddenly dropped dead, some sort of bladed throwing weapon embedded in his throat.

Briefly blanching in horror, the remaining sentries nonetheless crossed their arms protectively in front of their bodies, prepared themselves, and ran towards the location where they suspected the weapon had come from.

Moments after they had disappeared into the darkness, screams of pain and the sickening sound of rending flesh emerged from the forest path…

Followed by an ear-splitting, metallic screech.


	5. A new development?

Just a quick note; I'm suffering from writer's block, so this chapter will be a good deal shorter than the previous ones. Hopefully, its content will make up for it…

In the blackness of Naruto's subconscious, he dreamed. Unlike the others he had been experiencing, this dream did not involve his friends attacking him, nor did it involve death and destruction. Instead, Naruto found himself floating in an expansive, black void that seemed to have no end, only half-awake. And through the blackness, that same mocking voice emerged. This time, however, something was different; indeed, this time the voice was more spine-chilling, far more sinister, and above all, dripping with contempt and malice to rival that of the Kyuubi.

_You are alone, Naruto…_

_You have always been alone…_

_You are an outcast, a freak, a monster…_

_Nothing you do will ever change that…_

Suddenly, the blackness began to dissipate, and Naruto slowly regained consciousness to find himself safe in his home. He sat up in bed, distressed and confused, but not shedding tears, as he usually did when he had the nightmares. Resting his head in his palm, he laid back down.

_What's with these stupid dreams? _Naruto thought silently. He frowned. _And why do I even care? They're just dreams…_

Naruto shut his eyes. _Besides, that stupid thing doesn't know anything. I'm not alone, not anymore…_

Abruptly, that very same voice, his tormentor of about a week, butted in.

_Not on the surface, no. But just having comrades who could _possibly_ respect and acknowledge you isn't enough for you, is it? No, the one thing you desired since childhood, that elusive bauble that you have sought all your life, is the friendship and affection of your peers._

Naruto's eyes shot wide open. "How the hell would you know what I've wanted?!"

_Well, think about it. I've been in your head for a few days, now. You'd think I'd know some things about you. _The voice paused, as if to savor Naruto's shock, before continuing. _Now, correct me if I'm wrong: you only settled for acknowledgement and attention when you realized no one could ever truly care about an annoying, dimwitted freak like yourself. Am I right?_ Naruto was silent. _Is something the matter? Did I overload what little brain you have? Is the shock too much? Or maybe…_

The voice stopped abruptly as Naruto slammed his fist against the wall, causing a few small cracks to appear. He was panting angrily, and, against his will, was shedding tears. Through this, he ground out these words:

"Shut. The hell. UP!" Naruto practically screamed. Deep down, however, Naruto cringed; how had this thing, whatever it was, known about his past, and the reason behind his struggles for acknowledgement?

The voice sighed. _Very well. If you choose not to face the truth, that is no concern of mine. However, be warned; those who you believe to be your friends_ will_ strike and stab you in the back when you least expect it. _With that remark, the voice faded.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!"

Starting at the sound of her assistant's voice, Tsunade quickly moved to conceal the small bottles of sake she currently had on her desk. Shizune arrived not a moment after Tsunade had managed to hide the last bottle. Sitting up straight, she addressed the young woman. "What is it, Shizune?"

Choosing to ignore her superior's slightly alarmed expression for the moment, Shizune let loose with her news. "The entire night guard was just found dead."

Tsunade's eyes shot wide open. "What?!"

Shizune nodded, her tone grave. "Every single one of them, yes. We're still performing autopsies, but…" the young woman shook her head. "…we still don't have any idea what killed them. The only lead we have is this."

At this statement, Shizune held up a transparent specimen bag, showing its contents to Tsunade.

Tsunade gasped slightly. "What the…"

The object had the appearance of a slim, bladed disc. Its points were sharpened to razor-tips, and looked as though it could lodge itself in flesh and bone with no problem. Part of the blade was covered in what appeared to be dried blood, obviously from one of the night guard.

"One of the sentries had this embedded in his throat," Shizune went on, gesturing to the grisly object. "It managed to slice clean through his flesh and bone; if it had gone any further…" Shizune winced momentarily, but quickly recomposed herself. "…he would have been completely decapitated."

Tsunade, her face concerned yet serious, focused on the disc. "How many of these weapons were found on-site?"

Shizune grimaced. "Only one. It seems as though the assailant, whoever it was, took a different approach with the rest of the sentries."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow. "Which was?"

Shizune's face darkened. "They were all mutilated horribly." Noticing Tsunade's shocked expression, she continued. "Massive gashes were found on the victims' bodies, and one had what appeared to be a stab wound through the chest, powerful enough to completely sever the spine." Shizune, wincing a bit more at the grisly details she had outlined, once again held up the disc.

"We're still running examinations on this weapon, but so far, we haven't made much progress." She glanced at the lethal blade. "All we've managed to ascertain is that it's composed of a very unusual metal… it's like nothing we've ever dealt with before."

"Unusual?" Tsunade focused intently on her assistant. "How so?"

"Well, it's evidently some sort of foreign metal, definitely not from within or around the village." Shizune placed the specimen bag on the desk. "It's also incredibly durable; not even our sharpest cutting implements could make a dent in it."

Tsunade, noticeably worried, thought for a few moments. "Do you think the Sound could be involved? It would be like Orochimaru to mount another attack on the village…"

At this question, Shizune's sighed, puzzlement coming across her features. "That's certainly a possibility. But we can't be certain until we have more information on the matter." Her business done, she left the room, presumably to continue her studies.

* * *

Unbeknownst to either of them, the subject of Shizune's studies was lurking about the outskirts of the village, hiding himself in the trees' thick foliage. Hidden away from prying eyes, he contemplated his actions.

The slaughter last night was certain to attract attention, but he wasn't particularly worried; no one could see him coming, much less find him, unless he so wished it. He took a particular amount of pride in that.

Still, even that didn't showcase the full extent of his skills. That would all change soon, though. Soon, he would he would reveal himself. And when that happened…

_This stupid village won't know what hit it! _He thought gleefully to himself. Smirking, he leapt off through the trees; he had business to attend to…


End file.
